Heavy rain caused a cloudburst in the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand overnight, inundating the Tharali town and causing devastation in its wake. A drain, Tunri Gadhera, overflowed into residential and market zones, carrying debris into homes, the tehsil office, and further into the Pindar River.
Two individuals, one of whom was a 20-year-old woman, were missing from the Sagwara and Chepdon market regions.
Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari explained that it happened at around 2am, destroying everything at various places within a radius of one km from the tehsil headquarters as the water level in nearby streams increased suddenly.
Rescue efforts by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and the Indian Army were initiated, although road blockages hindered the mobility of teams.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed that he was personally following the situation and prayed for the protection of residents.
Chamoli Cloudburst: 10 Key developments
Girl buried: A missing person in Chepdo village, and a girl was buried when the rubble came down on a house in Sagwara village. In Tharali, rubble has entered 30–40 houses, and the same number in Chepdo.
Damage to infrastructure: Some houses, shops and the tehsil office were filled with debris after Tunri Gadhera canal overflowed.
Army deployed: Approximately 50 Indian Army troops from Rudraprayag were deployed early Saturday, with a medical team, drones and SAR dogs also put on the move.
Rescue operations obstructed: The SDRF and police teams arrived at the location Friday night but were held up because of a jammed approach road.
Relief efforts: The administration has started establishing relief camps for the displaced families.
Road closed: The Karnaprayag–Gwaldam National Highway was closed following debris accumulated closer to Ming Gadhera. Tharali-Sagwara and Dungri motor roads were also blocked.
Schools closed: Educational institutions in three development blocks were directed to close on Saturday.
Senior officials on the ground: Chamoli DM Sandeep Tiwari arrived at the spot early morning, while ADM Vivek Prakash confirmed devastation in the affected areas.
CM's Dhami reaction: Dhami took to social media to state, "I am keeping a close eye on it myself. I pray to God for all of our safety."
Uttarkashi cloudburst: This is weeks after a cloudburst in Uttarkashi resulted in one fatality and 65 missing, highlighting the region's susceptibility to flash floods.
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